The Secret Switch
by Gamegirl452
Summary: Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help, and Max is the only one who can do it. And guess who she meets. M/A NWP's challenge! Completed but currently under re-write! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
1. Chapter One: The Phone Call

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 1: The Phone Call  
  
"Hey Logan, what do you want?" Max asked as she strolled into the upscale penthouse apartment that Logan Cale aka Eyes Only called home and used as a base for his operation.  
  
Max had only known Logan for a short while; they had met because he had caught her stealing a statue from his apartment. Max then had discovered that he was Eyes Only and Logan had asked her to help him. She had said no and that she didn't need anyone to look after but herself.  
  
Logan had other ideas, he knew that she was from a secret government project called Manticore and had offered to find her 'siblings' if she helped him with a few information gathering missions in exchange for this information. Max had grudgingly agreed and ever since she had been working for him by night. By day she was a bike messenger for a company called Jam Pony.  
  
"Eyes Only just got this call from a Robert Berrisford." Logan told her, it amused Max that Logan still talked about Eyes Only in the third person even thought she knew exactly who he was. "Listen to this" Logan told her and pressed a button on an expensive looking tape player that looked like it had been built just before the pulse.  
  
"Eyes Only, please help me! I'm being targeted by somebody trying to kill my daughter and me. I don't care about myself but please can you help my daughter, she's only 19-years-old and she doesn't know anything about what I do in work or otherwise. My company works in genetics and has been used by the government a couple of times.  
  
"Somebody must think I know to much and is trying to kill me and my daughter. Please I don't care about myself just get Rachel out of this please protect her. You're my only hope. Please!"  
  
"What do you think?" Logan asked Max, she was stood next to Logan's computer table, she was dressed in black jeans that clung closely to her legs, a black leather jacket that hung loosely around her waist and a red tank top. She had a Jam Pony cap on and a black knapsack over her shoulder. She had obviously just come from work.  
  
"Well, by the sounds of it, that guy and his daughter is in a lot of trouble, good luck with it." Max told him as she walked out of the office.  
  
"Wait" Logan called as he wheeled himself out of the office as well. After a protection job that had ended up with him being shot in the back causing him to loose all control of his legs he was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  
  
Max stopped and turned around and looked down at Logan, "Aren't you going to help me?" Logan asked.  
  
"Hell no, why should I get myself involved in that lot?" she asked, she had now crossed her arms across her chest and was now staring down at Logan.  
  
"Well I did some checking on our guy, turns out his name is Robert Berrisford, owner of GeneCorp, ring a bell?" he asked.  
  
"No, should it?" Max asked who was still stood in front of Logan with her arms crossed and she was running out of patience.  
  
"Well, he's the owner of a genetics company that is not only one of the main backers of Manticore, but also is the company that supplies Manticore with most of it's genetic information, equipment and scientists. So yes the name should be familiar." Logan told her. This stunned Max, Logan had just received a phone call pleading for help from the biggest backer of Manticore and he was asking HER to go in and help save him.  
  
Max was just about to walk out the door when her other voice kicked in, the guy could certainly answer a lot of questions about her and why she is the way she is, maybe he could even find a cure for her seizures. That would leave her free to do as she wished.  
  
Max turned around, "Okay, lets suspended reality for a micro second and pretend that I said yes." Max told him,  
  
Logan nodded, "Hmm."  
  
"What exactly would I have to do?" she asked, if she didn't like this she could still walk away but this way she got more information about the mission without actually agreeing to do it.  
  
"Well, Robert Berrisford daughter, Rachel." Logan reminded her. Max nodded, "Well, she looks like you, dark brown hair, about your height and your build."  
  
"Yeah, so she looks like me get to the point will ya." Max told him.  
  
"Well, I was thinking about replacing you for Rachel, putting her into protective custody and you taking her place. That would allow you to protect Berrisford at all times and it would allow us to protect the daughter without letting on to the people who are after him that we've switched the two of you." Logan explained.  
  
"You mean I would have to be in there 24/7, living in this house with that guy pretending to be his 19-year-old daughter while somebody try's to kill the pair of us?" Max told him  
  
"Yeah, but not everyone's trying to kill him. Manticore are." Logan told him.  
  
"Great so instead of an ordinary trying to kill us I've got an X5 trying to kill us, that should make it a hell of a lot easier." Max told him sarcastically, it was lost on Logan.  
  
"Yeah, that's why I'm asking you, otherwise I wouldn't be asking but you're the only chance he's got Max." Logan told him, they were still standing in the hallway in front of Logan's door.  
  
"If I do this" Max started and Logan smiled, "I'm saying IF I do this what am I going to do about my job and my friends. I mean I have got a life outside the great and powerful Eyes Only." Max told him.  
  
"Don't worry, I have everything figured out, I've already got a doctors note saying that you were off ill and had to be hospitalise for how many weeks. Would that be enough for your boss?" Logan asked,  
  
"It should be, but what about my friends, they'll want to know why I didn't call them when I was in 'hospital'" Max told him.  
  
"Well, you can say that." Logan paused, "Okay I hadn't thought that far ahead" Logan admitted.  
  
"It's okay, I'll figure something out." She told him.  
  
"So you'll do it?" he asked daring for a positive answer.  
  
"Yeah I'll do it, but only because I want answers okay?" Max asked,  
  
"Okay!"  
  
"So, tell me about this Berrisford dude and his daughter." Max told him as she followed Logan back into his office. This was going to be a long night Max thought. 


	2. Chapter Two: The First Meeting

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 2: The First Meeting  
  
'What have I got myself into?' Max thought as she walked around the mansion that she was supposed to call home.  
  
Max had been pretending to be Rachel Berrisford for three days now and Max had seen no sign of any attackers, or hit men or any out of the ordinary. Max shook her head; today she was meeting her new piano teacher. Apparently he was supposed to be really good, Max had only agreed to go along with this to keep up appearances.  
  
Max walked back into the kitchen, 'I suppose it could be fun to learn an instrument' Max thought.  
  
Just then Max heard the doorbell go and she heard one of the maids rushing to open it. 'They were always rushing from one place to another' Max thought as she watched the young maid (who's name was Kelly) almost run to answer the door.  
  
Max walked through into one of the huge lounges that also had a grand piano in it, ready for meeting her new piano teacher.  
  
It was painted cream with cream leather furniture and cream carpet, the two sofas that were set at 90 degree angles to each other in one corner of the room they had brown leather throw cushions placed on them and there was a brown rug in the middle of the floor.  
  
The piano was painted jet black, it looked almost brand new, it's white and blacks gleamed in the afternoon sun and.  
  
Max was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of two people entering the room. Max turned around to see who it was, it was Mr Berrisford, Max mentally scolded herself; he was supposed to be 'dad' now.  
  
'Dad' and another man walked in, Max stopped when she saw the new piano teacher. He was really good looking, Max thought. He had brownie blond hair that was cut short, like a crew cut they had back at Manticore, Max thought. He had lovely hazel eyes that were covered with thin-rimmed grey metal glasses and a lovely tanned complexion. He was wearing a grey suit over an off white shirt and a purple tie and carried a black briefcase with him.  
  
"And this is my lovely daughter Rachel" Max heard her 'dad' say.  
  
The piano teacher looked away from the man standing next to him and over to her, when he looked at her Max felt like he could see into her very soul.  
  
He walked slowly over to her, like he was assessing everything about the room and her. It was really unnerving thought Max. She put out her hand; the new piano teacher took it and kissed it.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you Rachel, my name is Simon Lehane and I'll be your new piano teacher." He told her.  
  
"And you Mr Lehane." Max told him.  
  
"Oh please, don't call me Mr Lehane, it makes me feel to old." He said jokily and looked over to Mr Berrisford, "Call me Simon." The new piano teacher told her.  
  
"Okay Simon." Max told him.  
  
"Right, I'll leave you two alone, I'm sure you two would like to get started." Mr Berrisford told them.  
  
"See you later daddy." Max told him with a voice that was coated in so much sugar Max felt that she would die from overdoes but didn't show any of it on the outside. She turned back to her new piano teacher, Simon, 'maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all' Max thought as she walked around the piano so Simon could give her her first lesson.  
  
A/N2: Sorry it was such a short chapter, but I needed to put a break in here because it's going to jump a couple of hours. Please review and tell me what you thought of it. 


	3. Chapter Three: 494

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 3: 494  
  
Wow, he'd really hit jackpot with this mission 494 thought as he walked around the piano while Rachel played the piece that he'd given her to test her abilities. 494 remembered the briefing he'd been given that morning before he got shipped out.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"Do you understand your mission 494?" the general asked.  
  
"Yes, sir" 494 answered back.  
  
"Explain" the general asked, this meant that he had to explain the details of the mission.  
  
"I'm going in as a piano teacher to the daughter of a highly powerful man. He owns GeneCorp one of the biggest backers of Manticore; he provides most of our genetic information as well as well as most of our scientists and equipment. My mission is to go undercover and find out what he knows about Manticore, if he knows too much I am to terminate him and his daughter. His name is Robert Berrisford and His daughter is called Rachel she is 19-years- old." 494 finished.  
  
"Very good 494, go back to your barracks and get ready you are being deployed in three hours." The general told him, "Dismissed."  
  
PRESENT  
  
494 was jerked back into the present by a question from Rachel,  
  
"Yes, just watch your dynamics." 494 told her, she then proceeded to start to play an upbeat tune that she must have obviously found in between the pieces he'd given her.  
  
"I like it." 494 told her and smiled, she smiled back and 494 felt something that he had never experienced in his life, passion.  
  
494 couldn't think about what he'd experienced because Mr Berrisford chose that moment to walk in.  
  
"How's everything going precious?" he asked his daughter, his daughter smiled up at him.  
  
"Very well daddy, I like Simon he's more fun than my other teachers, they only let me play Mozart, Simon lets me play other things, I like it." Rachel told him. Mr Berrisford smiled down at his daughter still playing the piano while talking to her father. Which was amazing skill for an ordinary 494 thought.  
  
494 didn't have time to think about that fact because at that moment Mr Berrisford turned around to face him.  
  
"How's she doing?" he asked,  
  
"Fine, fine, she's a good student, she needs to watch her dynamics sometimes" he looked at Rachel and she smiled. "But apart from that she's doing very well, she learns fast." 494 told him, yeah that was another thing that was bugging him, she was learning a lot of stuff very fast, as before amazing skill for an ordinary. 494 started to get a bit worried about this.  
  
"Yeah well, she was put in a special programme when she was little to try and boost her memory capacity and her intelligence. I think it's worked don't you?" Mr Berrisford asked.  
  
"Yes, sir. I think it has definitely worked." 494 answered, so that was the reason she was better than other ordinaries. 494 knew he didn't have to mention anything at Manticore now that could pull the assignment early. 494 smiled, he was looking forward to getting better acquainted with Rachel. 


	4. Chapter Four: That should never happen a...

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 4: That should never happen again, but it will!  
  
'Opps, I need to watch how fast I learn' Max thought as she heard Mr Berrisford give Simon the reason she was so talented. Max had been enjoying playing so much that she had wanted to learn more and more but she was going way to fast to pass for an ordinary. She would have to slow down.  
  
Max continued playing for a while; Simon continued to walk around behind her listening to her play checking to see any mistakes. Max knew that an ordinary wouldn't be able to play like this unless they had had special training so she would put in mistakes, just small ones but enough for Simon to notice.  
  
Once she had finished the piece she was playing, she stopped and turned to face Simon.  
  
"Very good, there were just a couple of mistakes that you made. Such as you didn't put the proper emphasis on the notes in bar 78" Simon told her and pointed to a symbol just above it. "This symbol means that you have to put a lot of emphasis on the notes in this bar, not just play them like the rest." Simon explained, Max felt weird she felt like he was telling her off but being so kind it didn't feel like he was.  
  
Simon was now leaning forward with his head just over her shoulder. Max could feel his breath on the side of her neck and the hairs that were there stood on end, and her barcode tingled (Max knew it couldn't be seen because she had just been to have it lased off again yesterday, but she knew it was there all the same). 'Simon is defiantly different than anyone else I've ever met,' Max thought as she turned her head so that their lips were just millimetres apart.  
  
494's gaze dropped down onto Rachel's lips, she really did have great lips, very full and amazing colour. 494 knew he could get lost in those lips, he knew what he was thinking would get him put into phys ops for a year, but he couldn't help it. He brought his gaze back up to Rachel's eyes, those eyes that you felt like you see into her very soul. 494 wanted to kiss her, not because of the mission, not because he had been ordered to but because he wanted to.  
  
494 started to bend his head closer and he saw Rachel close her eyes in anticipation of what was to come.  
  
Just at that moment Mr Berrisford walked in, 494 jerked his head back fast than a normal human would be capable of and Rachel's eyes quickly opened. BUSTED! He just hope Manticore never got wind of this, or he would be sent straight back to Manticore faster than you can say 'failed mission'.  
  
'That should never happen again' 494 thought as Mr Berrisford said something to his daughter, but 494 knew that it would and worse, there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it. 


	5. Chapter Five: Too Close

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
I meant to say thank you to everyone who reviewed before but I never got the change so these are the people who have reviewed all the chapters, thank you for all these reviews. People who have reviewed more than once, a BIG thank you too them.  
  
Evening Jace - Can't wait to read the next chapter's carry on and thanks for the review.  
  
Natasqi - Yes I am still working on this although updates maybe slow, here's your update.  
  
LilsurferSango -It will very soon I promise and I'm glad you enjoyed that.  
  
dokushoka79 - I will continue if you keep reviewing, glad you like it.  
  
Ting - I will continue and Max and Alec **might** fall in love. Depends how they find out about each other.  
  
Ringo-gurl07- I'm glad you like how I write, I've progress quite a lot in that area so I'm glad you like that aspect.  
  
Alecsgirl - I'm sooooooooo glad you followed me I've never had anyone do that. Yes all these chapters are up at NWP's and I'm going to try and update both at the same time. Also I'm putting spoilers up on NWP's in the spoiler's section so check them out.  
  
Max - Thank you for your kind review  
  
Marie - Thank you for your review, would you be interested in translating it into French??  
  
Cloudburst - I'm glad you like it, I'm not sure how Max and Alec will find out about each other, I've got three different storylines and I don't know which one to do, I might ask all the reviewers. What do you think?  
  
Messymissy - You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens glad you like it.  
  
SecretlyBeautiful - Glad you like it, I'm enjoying yours, he could of got the name from somewhere else in your timeline but I thought it would be better because Alec is a true blue solider at the time he does the Berrisford mission. Keep yours going as well, can't wait to read the end of yours.  
  
Shay2- Glad you like my take on things although I can't claim all the credit because this was a NWP's challenge that I took up.  
  
Natalie -Sorry I can't tell you what happens your just going to have to read and find out.  
  
Bo - I'll try and write longer chapters for you, but this one had to stop here. Sorry about that, Rachel was 17 when Alec was on his mission but I had to change it to 19 because Max doesn't look 17 and looks more like 19. Just something I had to change sorry.  
  
Diamond*Princess - Glad you like it; I love all your stuff.  
  
Alec is fine! - Max doesn't think that Alec looks like Ben because this is early in season one, Max didn't see Ben until late in season one and before that the last time she saw him was when they spilt up at Manticore.  
  
MirellaM- Glad you like it, here's more.  
  
Soleil666 - Sorry but this story won't have allot of Logan bashing (until the end at least) because of the way the story has to play out. I agree, this is how season 1 should have been and season two should have been Alec and Max together with all the other transgenics. (Alec helped take Manticore down.)  
  
Ruby Saphirre - And thank you for reading mine, I'm a total M/A shipper I won't read M/Ls at all unless it's only undertones and the main plot lines are the other 09er's but even in them I skip the M/L moments, I haven't read too many sibling fics with Max and Alec in them, has anyone seen any?  
  
The-true-cat - I'm glad you loved it. Here's some more for you to love.  
  
Cheeza - I'm glad you liked it, keep reading and reviewing.  
  
Chapter 5: Too Close  
  
Max didn't know what had happened, just then before Mr Berrisford had come in, she knew that it was very dangerous to get involved especially with a possible contract killer that had been sent to kill her, but Max found herself wondering about Simon, where was he from? Where did he grow up? And Max hoped with all her might that the answer to both those questions wasn't Manticore.  
  
Before Max knew it the end of the lesson had come.  
  
"Good lesson Rachel" Simon said from behind her as she just finished playing her present piece. Max had stopped playing now and turned round on the piano stool to face Simon.  
  
"Thank you" she told him, Simon still looked perfect even after two hours sat in this stuff old room. Max on the other hand, her top was creased to hell and her hands were slightly red from all the playing, but never the less, she stood up to properly say good bye to Simon.  
  
Simon smiled, "it's always a pleasure to teach students so beautiful and driven to learn." He told her.  
  
"It's always nice to have a teacher that isn't strict and that lets you learn at your own pace. Helps to have good music as well." Max laughed.  
  
"Well, I've got plenty of that." Simon told her as he looked at her, he scanned her from head to toe, her cream silk top had been creased from sitting down so much and so had her dark coloured trousers, but she still looked very beautiful.  
  
The silence was eerie, Max didn't like it something wasn't right and she couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
"Oh" Rachel said as 494 started to pack his things away, "Thank you for all these lesson Simon, I know your being paid for them by my father but I just wanted to thank you anyway."  
  
"As I said, it's always a pleasure." 494 told her and flashed her a hundred kilowatt smile.  
  
Rachel blushed, "See you on Friday Simon." Rachel told him.  
  
"Yeah, see you on Friday." 494 answered and started out the door Rachel had stayed in the music room, as 494 walked down the corridors he scared himself with how much he was looking forward to seeing Rachel on Friday.  
  
494 knew he was in deep deep trouble and couldn't think of anything that could get him out of it. 


	6. Chapter Six: Up dating

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 6: Up-dating  
  
494 stood in one of the many lifts at Manticore with his mission operator Agent Lewis Sandall, this was the guy he reported to everytime he came into Manticore for a mission update report. The meeting was taped and then watched by the bosses at Manticore, or so 494 thought.  
  
"How's everything progressing with Berrisford 494?" Agent Sandall asked, he was wearing a black suit and an off white shirt with a grey tie, 'didn't any of these guys have any style' 494 thought as he stood in the lift. Being with Rachel had opened his eyes to the outside world and coming back to Manticore always felt like he had too close off those colours inside himself and let himself become one with the greys again.  
  
"The mission is on schedule sir, Berrisford seems interested in his daughters education and often comes into lessons to see how his daughters doing. He seems happy on the outside but worried on the inside, something is bugging him but I don't know what it is but it seems it might be connected with his daughter because of the way he touches her, he's playful with her like to best friends would be not like father and daughter. It seems a little odd. Nothing totally out of the ordinary but just little things here and there that I wouldn't have picked up on if it weren't for my special training." 494 answered.  
  
"We'll look into that 494 and the daughter?" he asked, looking at his clipboard. "Anything else 494?" he asked looking up from the all-important clipboard.  
  
"No sir." 494 answered, as he stared into the wall with his soldier face on.  
  
"Good work 494, dismissed!" and with that 494 left the room and started his journey out of Manticore and back to Rachel.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Natasqi - Yeah I'm trying to lay the foundations for the story so when I try to put some good action in a can refer back to all these things. I 'm going to carry on like this laying foundations for a few more chapters then the fun is going to start (.  
  
Ting - Well don't forget 494 is the shy sweet true blue solider he was before the Berrisford mission. Don't worry he'll start to get cockier. Glad you liked it.  
  
ringo-gurl07 - I feel so privileged that you broke the rules for me, Thankyou. I'm glad you liked the chapter, sorry it's been so long but I've had exams and they've been doing my head in.  
  
SecretlyBeautiful - I'm sorry about the short chapters (this one is very very short) but it's the way I write. Chapter 7 is longer than any of the other chapters so I hope you like that one.  
  
Freakage - I'm glad you liked it, I've written sort of AU's before but not on this scale, I've basically altered the whole Dark Angel timeline. Oh well, messing with time's fun. Lol.  
  
Cloudburst - I'm glad you think my ideas and how I'm doing them. No I haven't got a beta so if you're up for the job your more than welcome. I'm taking your hints and writing them into future chapters. Hope you don't mind the tension (hint hint). The chapters are short because that's the way I write, but I'm going to try and update more often so you get short chapters frequently rather than long chapters once every three months or something. Glad you liked it.  
  
Bo - Yes we all do know how the Berrisford mission ended in the really DA timeline but this is total AU so anything could happen. So your just going to have to keep reading to find out what's going to happen to the characters, especially Max/Rachel, Simon/494 (not called Alec in this reality yet), Mr Berrisford and a couple of other characters that I've got stewing in my head. Just remember in this timeline Ben's still alive and kicking and not killing people yet just Max hasn't seen him since '09, just thought I'd remind you of this fact.  
  
A/N: Please keep reviewing and thank you to everyone who has reviewed on fanfiction.net and nunswithpens. Reviews keep me writing and are my muse. Thank you. 


	7. Chapter Seven: Packages and Piano's

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 7: Packages and Piano's  
  
Max was walking through the vast living room, 'What it must have been like to grow up in this luxury' she thought. She was wearing another one of Rachel's designer outfits that had never had been worn. I could fence her wardrobe for a small fortune Max thought.  
  
She was waiting for another piano lesson, she had been having them every other day for three weeks now and she was getting very good at it.  
  
She was no closer to finding out who the hit man/woman was that was being sent from Manticore to kill Berrisford.  
  
Max walked through the corridor of the upper house in the west wing. This house was so big it was unbelievable, if she hadn't been an X5 she wouldn't have remember her way round the house and would always be getting lost.  
  
'That wouldn't put up a good impression' Max thought as she walked past a stained oak table with a vase of purple and pink flowers in it. Above it was a picture, a family portrait of Rachel and who Max assumed was Mrs Berrisford. Max looked at the picture for a while, wondering what it would have been like to grow up in this secure family filled with love and passion. Be a girl who played with dolls and prams instead of guns and bombs.  
  
Max shook her head, she knew that what was in the past was done and nothing could change that but she couldn't help wonder what would have happened if she were Rachel.  
  
She would probably ask Simon to the dinner party Mr Berrisford was throwing on Friday night. WHAT! Were had that thought come from. She liked Simon, yeah and she would like to be his friend, but ask him to dinner. NO!  
  
But as Max walked down the stairs into the lounge where the piano sat, part of her was secretly longing that she did build up enough courage to invite Simon.  
  
Just as she got into the lounge a maid, dressed in a plain black dress that came down to her knees with a white piny over it came through a different door and walked up to Max.  
  
"Rachel, you have a phone cal dear." She said and handed her the cordless phone.  
  
"Hello?" she asked anxiously  
  
"Hey Max, it's me." A male voice answered on the other side of the phone.  
  
"Hello, how are you today?" Max answered, still acting as Rachel.  
  
"Max, it's me, Logan." He said impatiently on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Oh, hey Logan, how's things going?" she asked slipping back into 'Max'.  
  
"Okay, I've found out a couple of leads. A guys body was found dumped in a lake just outside Seattle, they're checking his dental records at the moment. They couldn't find any identification on him but he was clean apart from one red line around his neck. He'd been strangled. He'd ....." Logan tailed off.  
  
"He'd what Logan?" Max asked starting to get annoyed "and what's this got to do with my mission at the moment?"  
  
"Well, according to the email I've just got, his dental records don't exist, which means either he's never been to the dentist in his life, which is very unlikely because he had two fillings or"  
  
"Somebody deleted them so he couldn't be traced, so I'm guessing Manticore. Right?" Max told him.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, I'm going to try and I.D. him from his DNA or something because this guy stinks of Manticore." Logan told her.  
  
'Well, duh I just said that five minutes ago.' Max thought. "Okay Logan, anything else for me?" she asked, wondering if Original Cindy had talked to Logan.  
  
"Yeah Original Cindy says hi and to get better soon. They realise that they can't come and see you while you're in a secure jail for assault." He said the last bit like he had a bad taste in his mouth.  
  
"It was better than your idea about going into hospital although I'll still need that doctors note for my boss, he thinks I have gone into hospital but my friends think I've gone to jail, great let's just hope nobody from Jam Pony delivers a package here." Max told him.  
  
"Yeah, anyway. That's it Max, just be careful alright?" he told her.  
  
"I'm always careful Logan" and with that she put the phone down.  
  
Max put the phone down on the oak side table that was placed next to the couch, a maid would come and pick it up later, and she started walking back down the corridor to Berrisford's office. Just as she was walking down past the front door the doorbell rang.  
  
If she were playing herself she would have answered it but because she was Rachel she kept walking and wait for a maid to open the door. She then doubled back again to she who it was. They didn't get many visitors, only Simon usually came and he wasn't coming until tomorrow. Max was saddened that she wouldn't see him today but then caught herself. She could go one day without seeing him surely. 'She wasn't falling for Simon', she told herself, 'why would I fall for him? He's stuck up, pompous, caring, sweet, adorable, gorgeous'. Max stopped herself, she really did have to stop thinking about Simon if she didn't she...  
  
Max was brought out of her thoughts by a cocky female voice saying "Jam Pony messenger". Max knew exactly whom that voice belonged to and for the first time in her life wished that that person wasn't there. She already knew she could see her only proven by the shout that came after it.  
  
"Max!" she yelled.  
  
Max turned slowly and walked towards the door hating herself for what she was about to do.  
  
"It's alright Kelly." Max told the young maid who trying to calm the messenger down.  
  
The maid bowed to her and ran off back to what ever she was doing before hand.  
  
"Max, what in sky's name are you doing here? And what are you wearing?" she asked punctuating slowly each word of that last sentence like she had trouble saying them.  
  
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Max asked mentally kicked herself as she did this. She hated lying to Original Cindy like this, but it had to be done.  
  
"Max, don't play stupid, otherwise I'll have to put the smack down on your raggedy ass. It's me Original Cindy, you know, your home gurl Boo." Original Cindy said as she stood there. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a purple short-sleeved top, with a bright red leather jacket on over the top. She had her rucksack slung over one arm and her clipboard in the other.  
  
"I'm sorry I don't know anyone called Max," she said putting on a very posh voice. "My name is Rachel Berrisford, daughter of Robert Berrisford." She told her. "I'm sorry I'm not your friend Max."  
  
"That's okay" Original Cindy said, "you just look exactly like her. Here." She said and pulled out a picture from the side pocket of her bag, she handed it to Max.  
  
The picture showed Max and Original Cindy stood on their bikes, it was taken about four months ago in one of the few parks in Seattle. It was one of the rare pictures of Max. Max smiled at the memory of it, and then remembered where she was.  
  
"Yes, she does look remarkably like me, but I'm afraid it isn't me." She looked at the back of the picture where the date was printed on it. "I was in Europe at the time this picture was taken." She told Original Cindy.  
  
Original Cindy nodded, "Here, will you sign for this package. It's for you anyway." Original Cindy asked and handed her the clipboard. Max nodded and signed remembering to write 'Rachel Berrisford' and she handed back the clipboard. Original Cindy handed her the package and left.  
  
Max backed away from the door holding the package in her hand and shut the door.  
  
She stared at the package in her hand, looking at it like it was a gift from God and the devil at the same time.  
  
'What on earth could be in here?' she wondered as she walked back into the lounge area, which was fast becoming her favourite room of the house and where she spent most of her free time.  
  
She walked over to the couch sat opposite the piano and windows and opened the package. It was just a plain brown envelope, a little bigger than a normal sheet of paper, like thousands of them that she had delivered herself.  
  
She quickly turned it over and opened it, being careful not to rip or damage anything inside of it. She reached inside and pulled out a paper book.  
  
She sat staring at the book, but this wasn't any book, this was a book of piano music written by a composer she had never heard of.  
  
Max turned to the first page and held it up to read. A piece of light, white paper fluttered down, out from in-between the pages and fell to rest onto her lap. She picked up and read it.  
  
'Dear Rachel  
  
I hope you'll enjoy this music; it is written by a good composer,  
I hope you'll like it. Practise it for Friday; we'll go over it then.  
  
Yours truly,  
  
Simon'  
  
Max clutched at the piece of paper like it was a lifeline to another world. She couldn't believe Simon had been so thoughtful. Max stood up at once letting the envelope drop to the floor. She walked purposefully across the room and sat down in front of the grand piano and put the music up in front of her and started to play. 


	8. Chapter Eight: The merging and the colou...

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've just started my AS levels.  
  
Chapter 8: The merging and the colours  
  
494 sat in the small apartment that he'd 'acquired' when he'd taken over Simon's life. It was 'cosy'. The walls were painted in a neutral cream and the curtains were grey, the carpet was also grey and reminded him of Manticore.  
  
494 shuddered at the thought of Manticore, over the past two months he'd been on the outside he'd seen and done things that he'd only dreamed of in Manticore, he'd been out and around, walked through one of the few parks that has survived the pulse in Seattle. He had gone and watched movies at he cinema and eaten the most declivous food he'd ever tasted.  
  
When he thought of Manticore and all the grey and then of the outside and all the colour he couldn't imagine going back and having to survive in the grey again, becoming grey himself. 494 didn't want that but knew he had to.  
  
If he wasn't out and about he sat in Simon's apartment, which was located on the smarter side of town, and played the wooden, upright piano. He'd also started to write his own music and was proud of what he'd written. It was all different tempos mixed into on piece of music. It was about what he was feeling. 494 wasn't used to emotions, he'd had to mask and bury them back at Manticore, but out here he was able to feel, to be happy, to be sad, to be jealous and envy everyone out here who got to live here in this world 24/7.  
  
Something else was bugging him, 494 couldn't figure out where Rachel came into this new world of emotions, he knew he liked her, he enjoyed her company and often stayed over the lesson time to teach her. She was fast becoming an important part of his life and evoked feelings that 494 didn't even know he had and it scared the shit out of him! He had never been trained for anything like this, for coping with emotions and he didn't know what to do.  
  
494 looked up at the clock, which was mounted on the wall adjacent to the door, which was stained wood. It's old roman numerals ran around the clock like children in a playground chasing each other and glistened gold in the light streaming from the window opposite the door. It was coming up to 3 o'clock and 494 broke into a smile, something that he'd been doing more and more the longer he was out here. Rachel's lesson started in an hour and it was half an hours walk, at normal human pace anyway 494 though as he stood up from where he was sitting and walked over to the wardrobe and started to get dressed.  
  
Max was sat in the kitchen, it's blue glass tiles winked and smiled at her as the light from the wall to ceiling windows danced off them shining back into Max's face. The floor was covered in gleaming white tiles and the units and cupboards where all lightly stained wood.  
  
Max was sat on a metal bar stool which was sat next to a breakfast bar. She was dressed in the only colourful casual wear Rachel owned, dark trousers and a red, short sleeved top with a picture, in white, of an angel on the front. It was much more Max's style than Rachel's. When Max had saw this top in Rachel's walk in wardrobe she couldn't believe that she owned something casual that was cream, white or black. She did have a couple of brown tops and one nice green top, which matched Simon's eyes.  
  
Max stopped herself, where did Simon come from, I was thinking about clothes Max thought as she sat there. Max looked back down at the music in front of her, the music was hand written and it looked a little rushed but when she had finally sat down to play it, she couldn't believe how beautiful the piece was. It was way above what she should be able to play if she was a norm, but she wasn't and so she could enjoy the beauty of the piece Simon had sent her. Simon again filled her thoughts. Max now couldn't go five minutes with out thinking about the sweet, sexy piano teacher.  
  
Max jumped off the bar stool and walked down the long corridor with its wooden floors and high ceilings and cream walls down to the lounge area and sat in front of the piano. The curtains that sat either side of the floor to ceiling windows that ran the whole length of the room and were located behind her were neatly placed at either side of the room, which let the afternoon sun into the room making it feel warm and homely, although this house had neither feel for very long. It really was big, cold, and lonely.  
  
The only time she felt happy and content in this house was when Simon came and gave her her lessons. Max scolded herself for thinking about Simon again but there was something about him that intrigued her, something about that smile that held pain and confusion and his eyes were old before his time, like he'd seen too much for such a young age. Max shook her head; she must be mad and reading WAY too far into Simon. Max smiled as she thought about that cheeky grin that he gave her when she had done something right.  
  
She thought of the dinner party her 'father' was holding on Friday, she knew it was going be boring but she still had to go. Max was happy at be able at last to wear some of that evening stuff Rachel had in her wardrobe but for all the people coming, she only wanted one person there. Simon. Max knew she wouldn't enjoy the evening without him there and so started to pluck up the courage to ask him to dinner.  
  
For Max this would have been easy, but for Rachel it was a different matter altogether, Max would have just gone p to the guy and asked if he wanted to go and shoot some pool with her, Rachel had never asked a guy out for dinner, she had never made small chit chat over the starter, talking politics over the main course, and laughed at past experiences over desert. Desert, that was another thing Rachel had never done. Max has done it plenty of time, her heat took care of that but Rachel was naïve and innocent.  
  
Somehow Max and Rachel started to merge, the person that became of these two people was someone who was confident but reserved, innocent but world wise at the same time. Somebody that knew what she wanted and knew how to get it but also had a consistence.  
  
Max was jutted out of her reprieve by the doorbell sounding. Max looked at her watch and realised it was one minute to four. She got up off the piano stool and walked to the door a little quicker than she would normally, with a little more spring in her step. Max now knew she had the confidence to ask Simon to dinner, but would he accept the invitation?  
  
There was only one way to find out as she saw Simon hand his grey overcoat to the maid on the door and walk across the black and white tiles of the foyer and up to the lounge area where Max was standing waiting.  
  
He entered into the room and smiled at Rachel, the smiled that could melt a thousand hearts. He was dressed in another one of his smart and sharp suits this one grey as well, his pink shirt suited him, not too feminine just that hint that hinted at there being more to him than what you saw on the surface.  
  
"Hi Rachel" Simon said as he reached down for head hand and brought it up to his mouth for a quick, feather light kiss. Like he did everytime he saw her.  
  
"Hello Simon" Max answered. She was once again overpowered by his presence, something about him twisted her stomach into a series of knots and twists that she couldn't' do anything about.  
  
"Did you get my package?" he asked, obviously nervous about her answer. It finally clicked. Simon had written that music that he had sent her.  
  
"Oh yes, it was beautiful Simon, it really was the crescendo at the end of the piece tailing off into the end of the piece it was beautiful. So much must have gone into that piece. The sadness and pain countered with the joy and happiness. You must have spent ages writing it Simon." Max told him as she stepped closer to him and looked deep into his hazel eyes. Eyes that held a thousand secrets and that had told a thousand lies.  
  
"What makes you think I wrote it?" Simon asked, as he tried hide the fact that he was blushing. Still looking deep into her chocolate brown eyes.  
  
"Well the fact that it was hand written for a start..." Max started  
  
"Damn! I knew I should have typed it up onto a computer." Simon told her, Max laughed and Simon realised what he'd done. "Okay so I did write the piece. I'm glad you lie it Rachel." Simon told her.  
  
"Simon?" Max asked, she knew it was now or never.  
  
"Yes Rachel?" Simon answered question filled his face and he couldn't keep the curiosity from creeping into those hazel eyes.  
  
"Would you like to come to dinner on Friday?" Max quickly asked, the confidence draining from her as she saw the look on Simons face, but just before she started to pull away from the close proximity they were stood in Simon smiled.  
  
Max felt like it was 100 degrees in the room but there was nothing she could do about that at that moment in time. She looked deep into those hazel eyes the belonged to the face that held the sexiest smile ever. That smile could be a deadly weapon Max thought as she waited for Simon's answer.  
  
Simon sensing Max's nervousness smiled and answered quickly looking into the deep pools of chocolate that were encased in her eyes.  
  
"I would love to come" he said as he stepped closer to her. He put his arms around her and held her close, Max put her arms around his neck and just stood there. Why did this feel so right? Max thought as she stood there held in the arms of the sweetest man she had ever known and at that moment in time she felt the safest that she ever had in a long time. Even before she had broke of Manticore.  
  
Manticore. The reason why she was here, the reason why she was dressed like this and the reason she was being held like she was, but at that moment, Max didn't care.  
  
I hope your enjoying the story, I'm sorry that the story hasn't been updated very quickly but my school is putting on a performance of South Pacific next week and they've got us rehearsing every night, but once that's over I should start writing again and the updates should be quicker.  
  
Please review because they really help me write.  
  
Luv Ya All  
  
GG452  
  
Cloudburst: Yeah 494 has to think about style. Yeah your question about the man found dead will be answered in later chapters but not for a few yet, so just keep remembering about him. I'm glad you like the Original Cindy encounter and the package was sooo sweet wasn't it. I hope this chapter answered a couple of questions about that package. I made this chapter as long as I could, but I had to end it there for the story because I need to jump a few days and I don't like doing that in the middle of chapters. If you give your email address I'll send you my next chapters for betaing if that would be okay with you.  
  
Jamie's Spawn: Thank you and no problem about the review; I only review stories that deserve it. No Ben is not on the scene at all at this point, it's set very early on in S1 so Max has never met Ben and that's why she doesn't recognise Alec.  
  
Bo: Yes it was a long chapter, one of the longest I've ever written. I'm glad you liked my ideas. Keep reading.  
  
Ringo-gurl07: I'm glad you love it. I really don't want to kill you so here's the next chapter to help you get through the next month. No it's not going to be that long until I update. I will get another chapter out within two weeks. Okay?  
  
Barcode-babe-210: Glad you like it. Here's the next chapter.  
  
Ting: Yeah I know it was an can'#t she tell her moment, but don't forget Original Cindy doesn't know Max is a transgenic yet. Yeah it was really sweet of 'Simon'. Keep reading.  
  
Luv Ya All  
  
GG452 


	9. Chapter Nine: A Lover's Kiss

Title: The Secret Switch  
  
Rating: PG-13 (may turn into R)  
  
Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.  
  
A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up, but don't shout at me if it doesn't get updated too often because I've got my AS level exams this month.  
  
A/N2: Sorry this hasn't been updated in a while. Between school and training, I've also had a serious case of writers block. Sorry this is short but I need to put a chapter space here because of what's going to happen in the next few chapters, including the pool scene. I hope you enjoy it. Please review. Luv GG452.  
  
Chapter 9: A Lover's Kiss  
  
Manticore.  
  
That thought haunted both Max and 494 for the rest of the day.  
  
After the lesson, Simon had stayed and they talked while strolling together around the vast gardens of the Berrisford estate. A bird sang in a tune as old as time, calling for a mate that would stay with it for the rest of its short life. Butterflies flew around the garden stopping now and again to rest its beautiful wings on a flower with equal beauty. Somewhere along the path, Simon's hand brushed 'accidentally' along Max's leg. Max didn't stay anything but reciprocated by 'accidentally' brushing her hand against his. Simon caught Max's hand and held it in his. His hands were strong but gentle and caring yet powerful. They were big but not too big. He had long fingers that looked like they had actually been made to play the piano.  
  
Max just strode along the path, her hand resting gently in his hand, making her feel safe. Not just safe as in a safe place she could hide, but safe as in nothing could hurt her here. Nothing could hurt her while Simon was beside her, which was stupid because he could just be an ordinary and she was a highly trained transgenic. Even so, the feeling still wouldn't go away. Not that Max tried very hard make it go. No, she liked the feeling too much. Something she hadn't felt since she had last seen her siblings.  
  
Max stopped abruptly in the garden at the thought of her siblings. Simon turned to look at her. Today he was wearing another one of his suits, a dark grey that reflected the colour of his glasses that hid his beautiful hazel eyes, eyes that now held concern and curiosity.  
  
"What's wrong Rachel?" he asked, his voice low and deep like he was struggling to put two words together. That sentence made Max acknowledge what was reality. Reality wasn't a girl and a boy strolling in the garden. It was an X5 on the run. An X5 pretending to be a rich man's daughter while her "creators" were after her, so oblivious to the fact that she could be right under their noses. A X5 with no chance of a normal relationship with somebody who's not like her no matter how much she wanted it, but this X5 was only half of the equation.  
  
The other half of the duo was the sweet, sexy and forbidden piano teacher, somebody who could possibly be an X5 but couldn't possibly be. He was good looking enough, had the right physical appearance and was about the right age; but Max couldn't believe that he was. He was innocent, seemingly untouched by the broken world that they lived in and to the torture that Max had endured the first 9 years of her life. That innocence was the thing that sealed the fact that he was just an ordinary. He was a very good looking and sweet ordinary but still just an ordinary, somebody that she could have no long-term future with. So she had to concentrate on the present and enjoy her freedom while it lasted because you never know what tomorrow is going to turn up.  
  
"Just thinking about the party tonight." Max looked up at Simon, worry in her eyes. "You are still coming, right?" she asked, like a nervous teenager asking her first boyfriend if he's still going to their first date. Hell she was scared. More than she had ever been. Not even when Lydecker had nearly caught her in L.A. or when the cops in New York had cornered her.  
  
"Of course. You think I would miss an opportunity to spend more time with you?" he asked.  
  
"Never." Max replied.  
  
As she said that one word, Simon leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. A kiss that was so sweet and intoxicating. One that Max never ever wanted to end. Simon's lips caressed her own as he pulled his hands around to capture her face as he deepened the kiss.  
  
His tongue ran across her bottom lip and she gave him passage into her mouth. His tongue entered her mouth and her own duelled with his, in a battle long forgotten by Max. The kiss soon turned from soft and sweet to hard and filled with passion.  
  
They broke apart, coming up for air, which neither of them needed to do but did anyway. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Max opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out.  
  
"Wow." Simon told her as he looked deep into her eyes and into her very soul. If she had one... being that she is a transgenic. Max had always wondered about that issue; but this was not the time to ponder the subject.  
  
"Yeah wow" Max parroted. She couldn't think of anything expect Simon: his taste, his smell, and his feel. It was like she needed to memorise every inch of him. Everything about him she needed to know to feel complete and nothing less would do. Just in case this was their last time together because nothing was for certain.  
  
Simon pulled away and Max moaned at the loss of contact. As he stood only a couple of inches away, Simon leaned close to Max's ear. So close she could feel his breath on her neck, her barcode tingled as he leaned in closer still.  
  
"See you tonight." He whispered in a voice reserved only for a lover. With that he walked away from Max and back towards the house, leaving her speechless and routed to the ground on which she stood.  
  
What am I going to do now? She thought. Max smiled as the answer came to her. Go and get ready for the party, of course! With that thought, Max followed the path Simon had just taken to the house to go and get ready for the party tonight. The one for Simon. The one where she would only be Simon's. The one night of her life where nothing would go wrong.  
  
X5-220 – Sorry for the long wait for an update, I know this chapter isn't very long but the next one will be longer. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Bo AKA Roxy – Thanks for your review. Dinner is coming up, yes it is the one with the pool scene and hopefully you'll like the way I'm thinking of doing it. Can't do it exactly the same, that would be boring. Max going into heat will play a part in future chapters, I think the makers of the second series just tried to put Heat on a back burner but it wouldn't happen like that so Heat does play a part later on.  
  
arwen-amy – Glad you liked the chapter, here's another one. Hope you like this one as well. Thank you for your review.  
  
Cloudburst – My wonderful beta, thank you for review and your comments, they meant a lot to me. The one coming up is the pool scene and is THAT dinner. I hope you like what I'm doing with this story and what I'm going to do with it. That's my kinda man as well.  
  
Soleil666 – I'm glad you like the pace, I was a bit worried if it would be a bit too slow but you've put my mind at ease, it will quicken just a little because of what the story demands but hopefully you'll still be comfortable with it. Thanks for your review.  
  
Athena80 –Thanks for review. Glad you liked it.  
  
Ting – it is cute, isn't it? Glad you liked it and thanks for your review.  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review me. I love to hear what my readers think how I should continue my story and what I could do to make it better. There is no such thing, as too many reviews and I'll always try to answer them personally in my next chapter.  
  
Luv Ya All  
  
GG452 


	10. Chapter Ten: The Pool Scene

CHAPTER TEN: The Pool

Disclaimer: I don't own anything blah x 2 woof x 2

AN: Well guys and girls, it's been two years since I wrote the original chapter ten. I was never very happy with it and it felt very rushed and I was quite disappointed that I never got to write a proper pool scene. So after all this time I've decided to take the keyboard out of retirement and re-write the ending to this. I'm going to leave the original chapter ten up but this will take its place as the proper continuation of the story. I would welcome any type of reviews. I've only just started writing again so I would appreciate any comments you have. This chapter will also be posted on Nuns with Pens and Agorna. Well without further ado, please continue on the new chapter ten of the secret switch.

494's eyes snapped open, the hazel eyes looking feral as his brain kicked in. He sat up in the bed he was sleeping in and looked around the room. An incessant noise reached his sensitive ears as he realised what had woken him up. His mobile phone on the side was ringing. Only two people had that number Rachel and Manticore and on that thought he reached out and snapped the phone open.

"Simon LeHane" he answered, knowing that Manticore would expect him to answer in this manner and that it would just pose too many questions if he answered it with his designation.

"494" the handler on the other end of the line stated, as soon as he heard his designation he found himself going back to the grey world of Manticore, his back became straighter, his shoulders fell back into a position that had been taught since he was a baby, even though he knew they couldn't see him.

"Yes, Sir" 494 answered, dreading the rest of the conversation, knowing that it would end up with him being back at Manticore no matter for how short a time.

"494, you are being called in for an emergency meeting with your handler. Please be outside in 2 minutes where your transport will be waiting" the agent on the other end of the line ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" 494 responded before ending the call to base. He quickly moved over to his…. Simon's closet. As he opened the white door he moved past the suits and colourful shirts he wore as part of Simon and picked out a clean set of military fatigues and his boots. He dressed quickly and made sure that his boots were shining and exited the flat. Knowing that this could possibly be the last time he saw this apartment he tried to memorise as much as he could about the place. He didn't have to worry about making sure the stuff was removed from the flat, a team would do that if he was being recalled. His only concern was never seeing Rachel again.

494 shook his head; he couldn't think of Rachel at the moment, her colours and happiness had no place where he was going. He put on his 'Manticore Mask' and exited the flat and got into the waiting black hummer for a return trip to the place he was beginning to stop calling home.

********************************************************

"494, report" his handler ordered as 494 stood to attention in the briefing room.

"I have successfully integrated myself into the lives of Rachel and Robert Berisford. I have attended several functions at their home in Seattle and continue to give the daughter piano lessons under the guise of Simon LeHane, which continue to be located at their home. There is no indication that they are suspicious of an out of the ordinary activities" 494 reported, knowing what the handler would have been wanting to hear. 494 kept staring at the wall, 'eyes front', he was the perfect solider, the best and that is what he showed.

"Good 494" the handler commented, showing no expression on his face. His greying hair matched the grey camouflage uniform that he was wearing and the grey walls of the room that he currently stood in. "Anything else?" the handler enquired.

"Yes Sir, I've been invited to dinner." 494 commented, finding no way to leave it out of his report. He looked at his handler.

"When? " the handler asked curious

"Tonight, sir." 494 answered, wondering what his orders would be in regards to this, he wanted to go to the dinner, but would do what he was ordered to

"We had no idea your relationship with Berrisford progressed this far." the handler asked, 494 was curious at this response, Berrisford wasn't his primary contact.

"It wasn't Berrisford who invited me, sir. It was the daughter. " 494 corrected

"Really. " amuzement in the handlers voice evident

"Yes, sir. " 494 answers still staring at the wall

"Are you under the impression there's a romantic interest on her part?" the handler asks while 494 looks on in puzzlement, 'I never really thought about how she felt' he thought, the handler taking the pause as not understanding the question follows with "Do you think she likes you?"

"She's given every indication that she enjoys my company, sir." 494 answered, but who ever know what women are thinking he thought.

"Play along, 494. This can bring you beneficial access"

"Good 494, this may provide you with leverage. Proceed with phase two. Make sure that your actions are not discovered."

"Understood Sir!" and with that 494 saluted the handler.

"Dismissed" the handler ordered as he walked out of the room, leaving 494 to his thoughts as he walked out of the room and back to the waiting hummer to take him back to the life he had.

He thought quite a lot about 'his life' on the outside and how that affected him. He starting to spilt into two people '494' and 'Simon' but was his alter ego really Simon, yes he had an aptitude for music, especially the piano but with the stuffy suits and the glasses he didn't really feel like 'Simon' he felt more open than he did in Maniticore, sure but he'd rather be in a black leather jacket and jeans like the ones he wore with 511 in Uzbekistan. 494 smiled at the memory. That had been some good time.

The driver looked at him oddly as he smiled and remembered where he was. His Manticore mask fell immediately and the driver looked relieved that he wouldn't have to report another X5 for acting out of character. Showing any emotion was severely frowned upon.

'That was close' 494 thought as they made their way back to Seattle. 'Must be more careful' and with that 494 started planning phase two.

Phase two was quite straightforward for a solo operative. All he had to do was get onto Robert Berrisford computer and download the files to a disk. Simple and straightforward 494 thought as they arrived outside Simons flat. The driver said nothing as 494 exited the van and walked into the building, happy to be home.

**************************************************************

"Where are we going?" Simon asked as Max pulled him into a room that she had found on her first day here. The walls were painted cream, like most rooms of the house. There were green plants round the room and it had a table and four chairs off to the right. One of the walls was just pure glass, which looked out onto the vast gardens. It was dark and so they couldn't see out, if they were ordinary's anyway.

In the middle of the room sat a gleaming swimming pool with under floor and side lights that lit it up and gave the rest of the room and sultry glow.

"You didn't want to stay the rest of the night talking with those old men. Did you?" Max asked teasingly a smile playing at her lips as her brown satin dress swirled round her. She turned and looked appreciate at Simon; he looked good in a suit. She knew that she only ever saw him in a suit but realised that it suited him, the jacket clinging to the broad muscled shoulders.

"No, but your father" Simon started to say something but was quickly quieted by Max.

"My father is busy talking about business. Wouldn't you rather spend some time with me rather than my father? Most boys would." Max told him, her eyes gleaming in the soft light radiating from the pool.

"Ah, but I'm not most boys." He told her as he stepped nearer to her. He could now smell her perfume as it wafted into his sensitive nose.

Simon opened his arms out and Max walked into his embrace. His strong arms enclosed around her and suddenly she felt safe. Her nose caught a smell of spicy aftershave but also something that pure Simon.

494 rested his chin on top of Rachel's head, never wanting to leave this moment, wanting it to last forever. His X5 sense of smell told him that this was right, that Rachel was suppose to be in his arms. He could smell the pheromones coming off her, a mixture of sadness and arousal. A mix that only Rachel could have.

They parted but only slightly, 494 looked into deep chocolate brown doe eyes and saw love. Something that 494 had never experience but knew it was something to be treasured. Rachel inclined her head slightly as waiting for something.

494 bent his head towards hers and closed his eyes; his lips met hers a mixture of soft silk and playful torture. Their lips melted together in a wave of passion. His tongue ran across her bottom lip and she gave him entrance into her mouth. She tasted like chocolate and strawberries, so sweet. 494 knew he should stop but at this moment in time neither wanted to nor cared.

He buried his hand in her hair and deepened the kiss while she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. After what seemed like an eternity they broke the kiss.

"Wow" 494 said as he untangled his hand and moved it down her body over the silk dress she was wearing to rest next to his other one on her waist. He pulled back so that he could look into her eyes but she kept her arms locked round his neck.

"Yeah," Max agreed as she looked at him, when she had taken this assignment she couldn't have even begun to imagined she would have this much fun. 'Maybe when this is all over we could continue this' Max thought, but that worry was for another night. Tonight it was just Simon and Rachel. "Fancy taking a swim?" she asked, smiling at the look of panic that swept across his face for a spilt second before being replace by a gentle smile.

"Ok." He said nervously, "But I haven't brought anything to swim in" he explained. Knowing where this could end up and hoping with all his might that it did.

"That's ok, neither have I" Rachel explained and with that she started to pull the strap on her dress down her shoulder.

494 saw what Rachel was doing and turned his back to her to give her some privacy as she undressed, as he turned he started to loosen his tie and pull it over his head. As he undid the first few buttons on the cream dress shirt he was wearing he heard a giggle and then a splash behind him, completely forgetting about what was happening for a spilt second he quickly spun round to see Rachel, in only her underwear in the pool, her hair wet and slick against her head. At that moment he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and that's saying a lot when you grew up in Maniticore.

"Well aren't you going to join me?" Rachel asked

494 quickly undressed leaving only his boxer shorts one and sat down on the cold beige stones that lined the pool. He swung his legs into the water, expecting it to be cold like the pool at Maniticore; however he was pleased to find the water was warm. He put his hands on the side to hold his weight and slid his body into the water. He swam over to Rachel and tread water in front of her.

"If you haven't noticed, I've kind of been throwing myself at you lately" Rachel told him as she brought her arm to his shoulder, her touch sending shockwaves throughout his body.

"I noticed" was all he would allow himself to say. He looked at her, her perfect face, those full lips, those chocolate doe eyes now full of innocence and love.

"Then why don't you like me?" Rachel quietly asked in a voice that was just above a whisper.

"I like you" he answered and with that he kissed her. His lips meeting hers, melting together in the heat of the kiss, her arms moved from his shoulder to come round his neck, his hand wove itself I her hair as he placed his feet on the floor of the pool to steady himself. Lost in the kiss their tongues mated together as he moved his hand down to the base of her neck, his other moving down to her bra, he cupped her breast over her bra, moving his thumb over the area where he could feel he nipple.

Max moaned in frustration at the lack of friction, she wanted more. Just as she thought that, she felt Simon's hand leave her breast, she made a small noise to indicate her displeasure at the loss of his touch until she felt the clasp of her bra being undone. 'One handed. Skilful' she thought. She knew what she was doing was not professional, what if Maniticore tried to kill Mr Berrisford now, what if he walked in and found her topless with her piano teacher. At that moment Simon broke the kiss and dipped his head to her breast, trailing kisses down her neck as he went. All thoughts went out of her mind as he started to caress her nipple with his mouth and tongue. His hand moving to cup her neglected breast, her head lolled back as she relished the feeling washing over her, but she still wanted no needed more. He left her breast and moved to the other one, giving it the same love and attention as the other as his hand moved down her body, across her flat stomach and over her round hips.

They continued into the night, lost in each other, in the feeling that they were safe.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	11. Orginal Chap Ten: Beginnings and endings

Title: The Secret Switch

Rating: PG-13 (may turned into R)

Summary: Max and Alec what more do I have to say. More okay, Well, Logan gets this phone call from somebody wanting help; Max is the only one who can do it so she does. And guess who she meets.

Disclaimer: They're not mine blah x2 woof x2.

A/N: This was a challenge at NWP's which I gladly took up.

A/N2: Sorry this hasn't been updated in a while, ok a very long while, but I just had an urge to finally finish (I've also had a serious case of writers block), so after four re-writes, several million hours of writing and thinking. I new school, and then a new university and a new boyfriend I finally got it finished. I hope you enjoy it. If you do, tell me about it, if you don't, tell me about it. Please review. Luv GG452.

Chapter 10: Beginnings and endings 

"Where are we going?" Simon asked as Max pulled him into a room that she had found on her first day here. The walls were painted cream, like most rooms of the house. There were green plants round the room and it had a table and four chairs off to the right. One of the walls was just pure glass, which looked out onto the vast gardens. It was dark and so they couldn't see out, if they were ordinary's anyway.

In the middle of the room sat a gleaming swimming pool with under floor and side lights that lit it up and gave the rest of the room and sultry glow.

"You didn't want to stay the rest of the night talking with those old men. Did you?" Max asked teasingly knowing what his answer would be.

"No, but your father" Simon started to say something but was quickly quieted by Max.

"My father is busy talking about business. Wouldn't you rather spend some time with me rather than my father? Most boys would." Max told him, her eyes gleaming in the soft light radiating from the pool.

"Ah, but I'm not most boys." He told her as he stepped nearer to her. He could now smell her perfume as it wafted into his sensitive nose.

Simon opened his arms out and Max walked into his embrace. His strong arms enclosed around her and suddenly she felt safe. Her nose caught a smell of spicy aftershave but also something that pure Simon.

494 rested his chin on top of Rachel's head, never wanting to leave this moment, wanting it to last forever. His X5 sense of smell told him that this was right, that Rachel was suppose to be in his arms. He could smell the pheromones coming off her, a mixture of sadness and arousal. A mix that only Rachel could have.

They parted but only slightly, 494 looked into deep chocolate brown doe eyes and saw love. Something that 494 had never experience but knew it was something to be treasured. Rachel inclined her head slightly as waiting for something.

494 bent his head towards hers and closed his eyes; his lips met hers a mixture of soft silk and playful torture. Their lips melted together in a wave of passion. His tongue ran across her bottom lip and she gave him entrance into her mouth. She tasted like chocolate and strawberries, so sweet. 494 knew he should stop but at this moment in time neither wanted to nor cared.

Suddenly Max stiffened,

"What's wrong?" Simon asked, as he broke the kiss. As soon as he said it Max immediately relaxed.

"Nothing, just thought I heard something." She told him not wanting to worry him. Had Lydecker caught on where she was? Had original Cindy unknowingly tipped him off when she had come to deliver that package? Max didn't know what to think but she had to get Simon out of the situation at hand, he was just an ordinary and could no way cope against Lydecker's SWAT team.

"Why don't we go back into the house?" she asked pouting her lips and smiling. Not wanting to alarm him but wanting to get out of the room that was made nearly entirely of glass.

"Sure" Simon said, looking around. If Rachel had heard anything then it might be Manticore coming to pull him from the op, not the normal way they would do it but he'd seen it done before.

Just as they were walking towards the door that led from the pool to the main corridor of the house Simon heard a faint scratching sound. Just as he realised what it was, the whole window just in front of where they were standing shattered.

494 grabbed Rachel and pulled her close, she buried her head in his shoulder and he kept her as far behind him as he could while he was still holding her, trying to shield her for whatever horrors could come through that window. Namely Manticore.

A man walked through the window. He was dressed in black combats and a black jumper. His hair brown with blond highlights and eyes cold piercing blue. His jaw was set and he was built big. 494 assessed him, he was big but he could probably take him.

"Ben, let go of her." The man told Simon in a cold harsh voice that sent shivers up Simons and Rachel's spines.

If I didn't know any better I would have this guy was an X5, something about the way he carried himself and the way he talked. He sounded like a CO.

"What are you on about?" Simon asked

"Ben, let go of the girl and you won't get harmed." The man told him in the same harsh voice. It reminded him of the voice he used himself in his role as CO of his unit. This guy was a nut but he was carrying a gun and even though he was a transgenic he couldn't survive a bullet point blank to the chest, or head.

"Ok man, but I have no idea what you are talking about" 494 told him as he let go of Rachel, he didn't know what to do but he knew he had to get Rachel out of this situation fast. If this guy was really an X5 then Rachel would have no chance up against him as an ordinary.

Just then Rachel pulled her head up to look the man straight in the eyes. Suddenly his whole face changed, a look of relief spread across it.

"Maxie?" the man asked as he started walking slowly towards her. 494 pulled Rachel closer, not knowing who 'Maxie' was but not wanting this guy any closer to the one he loved than that.

"Zack?" she asked, the same expression on her face. 494 looked down at Rachel, he recognised the looked on her face as relief, something he didn't expect in a million years, not after a guy had just jumped through a window in her father's house. By all accounts she should be screaming. That's what normal ordinary females did when they were scared, thought 494, but Rachel's not ordinary he reminded himself.

Without noticing the battle going on inside 494 they both started talking at once.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked as she looked Zack straight in the eye, she had to get it right through his head that Simon was ordinary without giving away that she wasn't.

"What are you doing with Ben?" Zack asked. What was she doing, he was holding her like no brother should. Just before he jumped through the window he was doing things that no brother should ever go near, never think about doing never mind actually acting it out.

"Ben?" Max asked, "What's he have to do with this?" she asked, as she looked at Simon "Zack, this is Simon, my piano teacher. It's not Ben." She told him. Trying to get it through to him without alarming Simon. If Zack saw Simon as threat he would kill him without a second thought. He had always protected them every since she could remember.

"Are you sure?" Zack asked her. Suddenly Max was taken back to when they were all still in Manticore, Ben was making shadow puppets on the walls to help Max sleep. The only other time she had ever felt safe.

Max looked back at Simon, then at Zack.

"Simon's just an ordinary though" Max told him, Zack didn't look convinced. From this conversation 494 had been able to gather who these people actually were and he was shocked. He couldn't believe he had fallen in love with an X5 another Manticore true blue solider. She was probably here also to kill him all how she got so close he didn't know.

"Max, I can't believe you didn't know it was Ben, after all the time that Jondy and you sat talking and the times that Ben would join you late at night." Zack looked at Max as she gasped, "you though I didn't know about those times, I knew about everything max, but through all the training we were given. We are soldiers Max, we are trained to recognise things and yet you still didn't recognise your own brother, even if it has been ten years" Zack told her. "What's so different, you knew it was me, how come you didn't know it was Ben."

Max wishing the ground would swallow her, Zack had just given away what she was, even if Simon didn't understand exactly what she was, he now knew that she was military and it wouldn't be long before he put two and two together and came up with transgenic. Even though Manticore was a secret everyone had heard the crazy rumours about the half human half animal soldiers that had come from parts unknown to rescue seasoned soldiers from impossible odds.

"I told you this isn't Ben" she stopped as Simon asked a question.

"Your X5's?" 494 asked, speaking completely out context of the conversation that Rachel and this guy Zack were having. He couldn't understand how he had not seen this coming. Rachel ability to learn, the pain in her eyes reflects the pain in his own eyes, even the guy jumping through a window. Sneaking into the mansion grounds when he'd even had trouble scouting before he had come here. But he didn't know why they were here.

"Erm…." Max told him.

"What are you talking about Ben, of course we are X5's. So are you X5-493, but your name is Ben" Zack told him, looking at him in a different light. If Ben didn't remember he was X5 then how could he hide his skills like all the others had. Zack thought to Tinga, Jondy, Krit and Syl. All but two of the twelve had made contact with him once they were on the outside, they were Seth and Max. He felt in his heart that Seth might be dead but always kept up hope that he was wrong.

"X5-493" Simon whispered, as if the designation meant something to him. Max just stood there staring at Simon. Not wanting to believe that he had anything to do with Manticore. The person that she loved, he couldn't have anything to do with Manticore. He was a Manticore free zone, somewhere where she felt same and secure and. Her thoughts stopped there, protected, she felt protected with Simon and the only way she could feel that way was if he was another transgenic, another X5.

Max looked up at him. Looked into the depths of his hazel eyes, surrounded by his glasses that he obviously didn't need. He'd been sent here to spy on Mr Berrisford. Something that wasn't uncommon for Manticore and its backers when they knew too much, but while looking into those depths she could see that this wasn't the boy who had told her stories when she was young, he always wanted an answer for everything and made shadow puppets against the duty sign.

She knew and loved both Ben and Simon and knew in her heart they were different people, she would have recognised Ben from the start but she didn't. She thought Simon was ordinary, maybe he still was but from looking at it like a solider would there was a cat in hell's chance, as O.C. would say. She had to sort this out but she had to first persuade Zack that this wasn't Ben.

"Zack, that's not Ben. I would know, that's not Ben." She told him, tearing her gaze away from Simon and looking at her brother. The leader, her CO. Zack knew that if anyone could tell if a person was Ben or not would be Max, she was one of the closest in the group to Ben who was an outsider in his own family.

"Okay, if it's not Ben then who is it?" Zack asked looking straight at Simon. Trying to see anything that could help him determine who this person was and why he was walking around looking identical to Ben. The thought struck him, what if he was a twin or a clone. Somebody who was made genetically identical to Ben.

"A twin?" Zack answered his own question, he looked at Simon, who wasn't Simon.

494 looked up at the man stood looking at him, it was time to find some answers and ask some questions. He needed to know some answers, he now knew that these guys were X5's and not only X5's but the '09er's as well. He'd done the unthinkable, he'd not only fallen in love with his target but also an '09er. The group that had kept him in phy-ops for six months and that made his life twice as hard. He felt his mask falling and the real 494 coming through. Damn the mission, he wanted answers.

"Yeah, they twinned the whole lot of you." he told them.

"How would you know" Zack asked him, jumping slightly at the sound of his voice which had been nearly absent throughout the whole conversation.

"Because of 493 I had to spend six months in phy-ops, they wanted to make sure it wasn't genetic. They didn't want the twins running as well." 494 told them.

Max just stood there and looked at him. "You are Manticore. I fell in love with a true-blue Manticore solider. How could I have done this, this makes no sense. How could have this happened?" Max kept asking herself, working herself into hysterics. Simon was Manticore free, he wasn't allowed to know about Manticore. She couldn't believe that she had fallen in love with the one things that she had been running away from for the past ten years. True-blue Manticore soldiers.

"How do you think I feel?" 494 asked them, "I fell in love with an '09er, somebody who from the age of nine I was taught to see as a traitor, a snake, somebody who ran away from everybody leaving us behind. Everybody suffered because of you lot. Your twins got it worst, believe me, but everybody suffered because of what happened. When I report back what do I tell them, sorry sir I fell in love with an '09er and let her and her fellow traitor escape because I couldn't bear to see her suffer?"

"Run with me?" Max told him not wanting to let him go. She couldn't, wouldn't. She had to explain this. She loved him so much.

"Oh yeah, where we going to run to, New York. Manticore will track us down and they'll hunt you even more if I go AWOL as well. They'll never stop hunting you with me and I can't allow that. I won't allow you to get hurt or caught because of me. Even though you are an '09er, I still love you and I'm not going to let you get hurt because of me." 494 told him.

"I've been running for ten years, I'll teach you the tricks of the trade" she joked.

"Yeah, well even if I could run with you, we're going to have to clear it with big brother, then get out of the Manticore S.W.A.T team net that is surrounding us then we are going to have to get some transporta……." 494 stopped,

"Manticore SWAT team?" he repeated and looked out of the windows, using his night vision thanks to his cat DNA he could see soldiers running across the grounds, Max saw what he was looking at too.

"Crap Lydecker knows you're here." Max told Zack. Looking straight at him, if he hadn't of turned up she would still be having a nice romantic night with Simon, 494 she corrected. She would be curled up in his arms.

"How do you know it's about me" Zack asked, there was three transgenics here, ok one was suppose to be but Lydecker could have come for any of them.

"Cause I've been here for weeks and Simon" she looked up "sorry 494 is here on deep-cover assignment, minimal contact. Even if they wanted to contact him they would have done it some other way, not through soldiers bursting in on us. You're the only one who could have tipped them off." Max told him. Not wanting to deal with him right now.

"Rach, I mean Max, we could get out, there's three of us I mean we're X5's. I know you guys ran but you must still remember the basics." 494 told them with a cheeky grin. It made him look totally different.

"Stop being such a smart Alec" Max told him, then stopped

"Alec it suits you." Zack told them, totally forgetting that Lydecker was minutes away from taking them back to Manticore.

"Hmm, nice." Alec told them, he needed a name.

"Good that's settled, we've got a slightly problem, thought. Manticore won't want any witnesses and there is most of Manticores backers sat in that one room in the house. What are we going to do about them, no offence but I was sent here to do a job which was to protect Mr Berrisford. So I need to complete that, we need to do something about them but first we need to get out of here and into the house, when Zack broke that window, he also left the perfect way in for Manticore as well as himself and a perfect escape route for us if my plan works. Right here's what we do………"

Just as she had finished telling them what to do and flash bomb appeared through the broken window, the x5's covered their ears and shut their eyes.

VERSION 1

When they opened them again, the room was completely dark. The X5's had no problem adjusting and they could see perfectly the solider swarming into the pool room. All wearing full combat gear and night vision goggles. This gave the X5's an advantage because the goggles slowed the soldiers down and only allowed them to see in grainy vision at best. With X5's blurring ability it should be easy to confuse them.

They ran from where they were stood out in the open near the window where Zack had come in from and blurred to a barrage of plants in the corner of the room. This provided them cover while the Manticore soldiers made their way into the house and secured the area, all the while looking for the X5's.

Max looked at Alec, knowing that she trusted him with her life knowing that she loved him and knowing that she couldn't lose him, not now, not like this. They had to get out, they just had to.

'God, she beautiful' Alec thought as he looked at his love. Of all moments in time he took this time to look at her, to look at what she was and had become in the short few weeks he had known her. Tonight for the party she had been wearing a trouser suit in cream dressed with a black v-neck top underneath. The cream of the suit brought out the honey colour of her skin. In the dark conditions her pupils were fully dilated nearly blacking out the deep chocolate colour of her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed from all the knowledge that she had found out and what they were about to do. This was going to be one of the turning points in her life and one of the major milestones in Alec's life and at this moment they could think of nothing but each other.

'Why does he have to be so sexy?' thought max as she looked at Alec properly for the first time. Knowing that he was an X5 made her look at him in a new light, yes he was pretty but all X5's were. What made him special was the fact that he was more than just pretty, he was gorgeous and he had the personality to go with it. When he was stood there next to Zack she saw the differences between the two men. Alec standing a little shorter than Zack and having a little less bulk on him, but knowing that made him quicker on his feet than Zack.

"Right. Have you two finished making goggle eyes at each other and can we get to the fact that there is a Manticore SWAT team around us?" Zack asked, slightly peeved at their apparent lack of concern that Manticore soldiers with tasers and guns were stood not less than 10 feet away from them.

"Yes." Max replied, trying not to comment on Zack's statement.

"Yes sir." Alec fell back on his training, he knew Zack was the CO of the unit that escaped in 09 so he decided to show a little respect.

"Haven't heard that in long time" Zack told him and smiled. It felt good to be back in control. What he was born and trained to do. Zack smiled again, this time it was a feral smile that showed the animal in him. He was going to enjoy this.

"Right, both of you ready?" Zack asked. Both turned and nodded and got ready to do their part in the plan.

"1, 2, go!" Zack whispered as Max and Alec set off to their locations, running from their hiding place in opposite directions. They started to blur running faster and faster round the room. Max stopped and tapped one of the soldiers on the shoulder.

"Boo!" she shouted and then ran for it, nearly bumping into Alec but managing to change course slightly, still avoiding the bullets of the solider she had scared. They had opened fire on the two transgenics and weren't any close to hitting them.

Zack pulled out his own gun and in time with the soldiers fired a couple of shots off, nobody noticed the soldiers that went down, killed by a bullet perfectly targeted into their forehead.

'Well that's evened the odds up at bit' Zack thought as he hid his gun again.

Alec and Max were doing a good job of keeping the soldiers confused time for him to enter, he jumped out from the hiding place and started to fight the soldiers killing them anyway possible, the first solider came up and he used a swift right hook to effectively knocked the guy out cold. At least he didn't have to kill all of them. He came to the second and gave him a swift kick to his stomach and promptly gave him a upper right hook snapping his neck with the force of it. Opps! Just as he was about to go for a third one he heard a movement behind him, just as he turned round he looked straight down the barrel of a gun. Then the solider just collapsed in front of him. A single bullet to the back that had gone straight through his heart. He saw Alec standing behind him. He shrugged his shoulders and started running again. Max by this time had exited the room through the open window in which Zack had come through and gone to find Mr Berrisford to try and get him out the house without Manticore noticing him and the other major backers had disappeared under their noses along with an X5, who would soon be joined by another two one of which was going AWOL at that moment in time.

As Alec and Zack kept fighting and running fighting and running the soldiers just kept coming and coming and they were starting to get tired.

"Won't these guys just give us a break?" Alec asked Zack as he put his fist into another soldiers face, breaking the night vision goggles into pieces and jamming them into the soldiers face. Causing serious bleeding and knocking the guy out.

"They're soldiers, of course they won't." Zack told him, just as another solider grabbed a tasers and stuck it in his side. Zack grimaced in pain, it wasn't set for transgenics, only ordinaries and so it didn't knock him out.

"Shit! Careful Alec, they've discovered they're tasers!" Zack called out from where he was now fighting three soldiers two of which were holding tasers. The soldiers were backing him into a corner, and surrounding him. Tow more turned up and they started to take full advantage of their new found knowledge.

Zack hit one of them, but not hard enough and only knocked the guy to the ground, not doing much damage but break a rib or two! But as soon as he had disposed of that guy another one came and took his place. Alec wasn't faring much better, having more guys than Zack on him because he was out in the open instead of near a wall. Meaning he had soldiers with tasers surrounding him.

The soldiers must have decided they'd had enough and went for the capture. They started moving inwards, both Alec and Zack on alter to where the strike could come from, because once they struck that part of the surround would be vulnerable.

Just as the first solider decide to strike on them, the sound of glass shattering came from the other side of the pool house, the side closest to the house.

Alec immediately thought of max! Hoping that she had done her job and got out alright and not stupidly come back. The soldiers that were surrounding them were startled by this and it gave Alec and Zack the opportunity to strike, punches and kicks flew everywhere and Alec didn't notice the black clad figure coming up behind him.

Before he knew it, a solider jumped on him and nearly sent him off balance, but suddenly he felt someone relieving him of his burden, all he heard was a crunch as the solider hit the wooden chairs that were placed near a table at one end of the pool house.

Alec turned to see a girl clad in a tight black cat suit, with long blond hair flowing from a pony tail tided high on top of her head. She was beautiful and Alec knew she was another 09'er.

"Thanks" he told the blond beauty just as another solider came running towards him, which he dealt with a swift punch to the head and a kick to the stomach. The guy was out for the count and wouldn't be waking up any time soon, if at all.

"Not a problem, anything to help a friend of Zack's" she told him in a southern-Texas drawl.

"Well I've only known him a few minutes!" he confessed,

"Doesn't matter, Zack doesn't trust easily." She told him just as another wave of soldiers descended on the pool house. "Shall we?" she asked, Alec just smirked as they started their assault on the next wave of soldiers.

As the fight was going on in the pool room of Mr Berrisford's house he was in another place entirely, max had managed to get all the men out of the house and into Logan's car, including the two bodyguards and were now heading for Logan's penthouse.

"Well, seems like you did your job Max!" Mr Berrisford said, "I owe you, both of you my life, and the life of my child. How ever can I thank you?"

"Well, mind me looking at some of your research?" max asked, "these seizures are starting to really get to me." Max complained, and for the first time Mr Berrisford realised what he had had living under his roof.

"You're transgenic?" he asked Max as they sped to Logan's place. The rain beating down on the windows of the car. With the whole of Mr Berrisford's friend listening in on their conversation, but Max had no choice but to tell the man she had been calling father for the last few weeks the truth.

"Yeah, I'm one of the ones that escaped in '09, but you had a true blue Manticore solider under your roof as well, Simon wasn't Simon. You were talking to X5-494" she told him, hoping she could impress the fact that nobody is safe from Manticore, and that Mr Berrisford needs to be so much more careful now.

Mr Berrisford looked shocked; as did most of the men sat in the car and boot (there were a lot of them). For the rest of the journey they wouldn't look her in the eye. Understandable really.

When they got to Logan's, max tried ringing Alec but couldn't get through, so she left a message that only him and Zack could understand, and that's if they worked together.

After that she waited, hoping that she would see her brother and her love once more.

The room was littered with the bodies of the soldiers, but the four transgenics weren't in the room anymore, they were walking away looking like a bunch of teenagers that had just finished work, but if anyone had gotten close enough to hear them or looked closely they would have realised they were definitely not normal teenagers.

"So, who are you then?" Alec asked the blonde that had come to his rescue. Still wearing her black cat suit, that clung to her curves but having removed her pony tail to cover her bar-code her hair fell loosely around her face. Making it looked like it had been styled that way.

"The names Syl, she sassed, "I know you've already met Zack and that bag of spanners over there is my partner Krit and you are?"" as she pointed to a guy that looked like the male version of Max.

"Alec, newly named by Rachel, I mean Max!" he corrected, just then his cell phone rang, he took it out of his pocket and checked the caller i.d.

"Voicemail" he told them as he answered it and listened, he recognised Max's voice immediately and noticed she was speaking in riddles. He listened closely and memorised what she said, he understood some of it but not other bits.

As he snapped the phone shut he looked at the other three transgenics, "That was max, she left a riddle to where she is, but I don't understand all of it. Do you?" he asked,

"Dunno what it say?" Krit asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the other transgenic.

"Find me in a place up high,

The blue lady be blessed in the sky

Symbols and emphasis give you the building and floor number you need

Pass code numbers to letters of something that needs to be watched when keyed"

"I know the last too bits, something from her first piano lesson, but I don't get the starting point" Alec told them as he tried to think what it was.

"It's the space needle, the highest point in Seattle" Zack told him, as they all set off in the direction of the space needle. Hoping that they were right, and that they were going to be safe.

'One day we will all be safe' thought Alec as he walked down the street. 'One day'.

THE END!

Just to let you know

"Find me in a place up high, meaning the space needle

The blue lady be blessed in the sky

Symbols and emphasis give you the building and floor number you need max didn't put proper emphasis on bar 78 in her first lesson, meaning building 7, floor 8.

Pass code numbers to letters of something that needs to be watched when keyed her dynamics needed to be watched, so change the word dynamics to numbers and you get 4-25-14-1-13-9-3-19.

Just to let you know!

Edrox – Thanks for reviewing, well I know it's been a long time, but here's the pool scene. I hope you liked it!

WinifredWyndhamPrice – your review was great, thanks. Glad you liked the soul searching bit.

Natasqi – well as you must have just read, she doesn't really tell him about what she is, but they do find out and live happily ever after.

a reader – I didn't give up on it, it's just taken me a long long time to finish it. I hope you like the ending.

meri24 – I'm glad your enjoying this story. I hope you enjoyed the final chapter!

Luv Ya All

GG452


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